Golf cleat

ABSTRACT

A GOLF SHOE CLEAT COMPRISING A HEAD FROM WHICH STEMS A SHANK EMBODYING A FIRST PORTION AND A TAPERED PORTION, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THERE IS A CONICAL SHOULDER AT THE JUNCTION OF THE FIRST AND TAPERED PORTIONS LOCATED AT A DISTANCE FROM THE HEAD SUCH THAT WHEN INCORPORATED IN A SHOE BOTTOM THE CONICAL PORTION WILL BE SITUATED SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE TREAT SURFACE. THE FIRST PORTION OF THE CLEAT MAY BE OF UNIFORM DIAMETER FROM THE HEAD TO THE TAPERED PORTION OR MAY BE OF TWO DIAMETERS WITH A SECOND CONCIAL SHOULDER AT THE JUNCTION OF THE PORTIONS OF TWO DIAMETERS.

Dec. 7, 1971 L E, BERNlER EVAL 3,624,934

GOLF. CLEAT Filed Dec. lO, 1969 jbl/f (imei .Glam

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United States Patent O Mass.

Filed Dec. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 883,892 Int. Cl. A43c 15/00 U.S. Cl. 36-67 A 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A golf shoe cleat comprising a head from which stems a shank embodying a first portion and a tapered portion, characterized in that there is a conical shoulder at the junction of the first and tapered portions located at a distance from the head such that when incorporated in a shoe bottom the conical portion will be situated substantially at the tread surface. The first portion of the cleat may be of uniform diameter from the head to the tapered portion or may be of two diameters with a second conical shoulder at the junction of the portions of two diameters.

BACKGROUND OF THE 'INVENTION Cleats for golf shoes are generally of two varieties, either a structure comprising a head and a shank having a tapering portion terminating in a tip, adapted to be fixed permanently in the bottom of a shoe or a structure comprising a threaded portion and a tapering shank adapted to be removably screwed into threaded sockets fixed in the shoe bottom. Cleats of the first type are shown for example in U.S. Pats. 715,138, 1,280,302, 1,243,819, 1,542,960, 3,324,578 and 3,461,576 and in British 9,168/1905 and 11,270/1884.

lCleats of the second type are shown in U.S. Pats. 2,290,792, 2,918,733, 3,010,229, 3,195,246, 3,204,347, 3,228,901 and 3,343,285.

The cleats disclosed in this application are of the first type and correspond in configuration to the cleats shown in our pending application Ser. No. 774,382, filed Nov. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 774,286, filed Nov. 8, l1968, Ser. No. 831,373, filed June 9, 1969 and Ser. No. 832,724 filed June 12, 1969, wherein the cleates are claimed in combination with the bottom structure of the shoes disclosed therein and with the method of incorporating the cleats in the shoe bottom. This application is for the purpose of claiming the structural configuration of the cleats per se.

SUMMARY As herein illustrated, the cleats are for the purpose of incorporation in the bottom of a shoe either by first fixing the cleat to a cleat plate which is then, in turn, incorporated in the bottom structure of a shoe or by fixing the cleats individually in the bottom structure of a shoe. As illustrated these cleats comprise a head from which extend a shank embodying a first portion and a tapered portion, characterized in that there is a conical shoulder at the junction of the first portion and the tapered portion located at a distance from the head such that when the cleat is incorporated in the shoe bottom the conical portion is situated substantially at the tread surface with a portion inwardly thereof and a portion outwardly thereof. The first portion may be of uniform diameter from the head to the tapered portion or it may be of two diameters with a second conical shoulder at the junction of the portions of two diameters with the second conical shoulder at a distance from the head such that when incorporated in a cleat plate the second conical portion will be situated substantially at the surface of the cleat plate from which the cleat extends.

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The events will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the cleat in one form;

FIG. 2 is an elevation partly in section of a cleat plate with a cleat such as shown in FIG. l incorporated therein;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of another form of the cleat;

FIG. 4 is an elevation partly in section of the form of a cleat shown in FIG. 3 incorporated in a shoe bottom;

FIG. 5 is an elevation partly in section of the cleats such as shown in FIG. 3 attached to a cleat plate and incorporated in a bottom;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section of a mold assembly showing a cleat of the -kind shown in FIG. 1, supported in the bottoni plate for molding of a cleat plate;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section of a mold assembly showing a cleat of the kind shown in FIG. 3, supported in the bottom plate for molding of a bottom;

FIG. 8` is a fragmentary section of a mold assembly showing a cleat plate supported in a mold cavity for molding a lbottom about the cleat plate;

FIG. 9 is a plan View of a cleat plate with cleats fixed thereto for the forepart of the shoe; and

FIG. 10 is a plan Vview of a cleat plate with cleats fixed thereto for the heel end of a shoe.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. .l and 2, the cleat comprises in one form a head 10 of generally circular configuration from which stems a shank 12 embodying a first cylindrical portion 14, a first conical portion 16, a second cylindrical portion 18, a second conical portion 20, a tapered portion 22 and a hardened metal tip 24.

The cleat as thus constructed is designed especially for attachment to a cleat plate 26 as shown in FIG. 2. The cleat plate 26 is of a conguration to be incorporated in the forepart or heel end of a bottom within the thickness of the bottom, the latter being shown in dotted lines at 28 FIG. 2, that is, between its upper and lower surfaces with the cleats attached thereto extending from the lower or tread surface. As illustrated in the aforementioned applications the cleats are so designed that the head and first cylindrical portion are buried in the cleat plate in` a position such that the first conical shoulder 16 is situated at the lower surface of the cleat plate with a portion within and a portion extending from the lower surface. Preferably the conical shoulder 16 emerges from the lower surface of the cleat plate substantially at the medium line between its large and small diameters. The second cylindrical portion 18 is of smaller diameter than the first cylindrical portion 14 and is of an axial length such that it extends from the lower surface of the cleat plate within the bottom to approximately the tread surface so that the second conical shoulder 20 is situated at the tread surface with a portion within the bottom and the portion without. 'Preferably the medium diameter of the conical shoulder 20 is at the tread surface. 'Ihe tapered portion 22 extends from the tread surface.

The second form of the cleat as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is designed especially for incorporation into a shoe bottom without attachments to an anchor plate although it is to be understood that it may be attached to an anchor plate, as will appear hereinafter. In this form the cleat comprises a head 30 and a shank 32 stemming therefrom, the latter embodying a first cylindrical portion 34, a conical portion 36, a tapered portion 38 and a hardened tip 40. This cleat may be incorporated in a bottom 42 as shown in FIG. 4 with the head and cylindrical portion 34 embedded in the bottom between its upper and lower surfaces and so situated that the conical portion 36 is at the bottom or tread surface of the bottom with its medial diameter in the plane of the tread surface. The tapering portion 38 extends from the tread surface.

As previously mentioned a cleat of this latter type may also be used with a cleat plate, for example, it may be as shown in FIG. welded to a metal cleat plate 44 in contrast to the cleats illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the head and irst cylindrical portion of the cleat were embedded in a cleat plate formed by molding a moldable material. As shown in FIG. 5 the cleat plate 44 with a cleat 46 welded thereto as disclosed in application Ser. No. 832,724, filed June 12, 1969, is embedded in a bottom 48 indicated in dot and dash lines with the conical shoulder 36 located at the tread surface with its median diameter substantially in the plane of the tread surface.

In each form of cleat the conical shoulder serves two purposes, to wit, a iirst purpose to locate the cleat in the proper place Within the mold and in the second place to improve the seal where the cleat extends from the lower surface of the cleat plate and/or the bottom in which it is incorporated. The function of the conical shoulder for supporting a cleat in the proper position for incorporation in a cleat plate is illustrated in FIG. 6. As herein illustrated the rst conical shoulder 16 rests within the upper end of a hole 50 in the bottom plate 52 of a mold and supports the cleat in a heightwise position within the mold cavity for formation of a cleat plate about the head and first cylindrical portion 14 of the cleat. The mold cavity 54 is then lled with a bottom forming composition by injection or compression molding, a cover plate being applied to the open top to close it during the molding operation.

`Following the making of a cleat plate 26 as thus described with the cleat attached thereto as shown in FIG. 2, the cleat plate is supported in a mold cavity 54, FIG. 8, with the second conical shoulders engaged with the holes 50 in the bottom plate 52. The open top of the mold cavity may be closed with a cover plate to form a unit sole or by a lasted upper to form a bottom directly to a shoe.

FIG. 7 shows the formation of a shoe bottom with cleats without rst attaching the cleats to a cleat plate. In this instance the conical shoulders 36 support the cleats with their cylindrical portions 34 and heads 30 in the mold cavity 54. An unattached bottom may be formed by placing a cover plate over the open top of the mold cavity. If a bottom is to be formed directly to a shoe, a lasted upper is held against the open top of the mold cavity during the injection or compression molding operation.

4 As illustrated herein but without limitation the cleats shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 have the following dimensions:

Dimensions of cleat-Figure l Length Diameter H ead 062 500 F1rst cyllndrical portion 218 298-308 First conical portion 177 1 45 Second cylindrical portion 031 254-259 Second conical portion.-. 031 1 45 Tapered portion 250 if Insert (tungsten) 047 088-090 1 Degrees. 3 Smaller end.

We claim:

1. A cleat for incorporation in the bottom of a shoe comprising a head, a shank extending therefrom and a hardened tip at the distal end of the shank; characterized in that the head is uniformly thick, that the shank has a portion of uniform cylindrical section adapted to be situated in the bottom of a shoe, a portion of tapering section adapted to extend from the tread surface of the bottom of the shoe, and a conical shoulder, said head and first portion being adapted to stabilize the cleat in the bottom and said conical shoulder being adapted to be embedded. partly in the bottom and partly to extend therefrom to provide a seal at the place of emergence of the cleat from the tread surface.

2 Larger end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,584,182 2/1952 Bernstein 36-67 B 2,697,288 12/1954 Wilcox 36-67 B 2,722,757 1l/1955 Phillips 36-67 D 3,337,971 8/1967 Rose 36-67 X 3,461,576 8/1969 Hubbard 36-67 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

